Clear streets

The SRRA committee is concerned about recycling bins, wheelie bins and bikes chained to lampposts causing obstructions to those trying to use the pavement, including people with buggies and in wheelchairs.

We propose to campaign for improvement including enforcing the prevention of litter and household rubbish being left in the streets. This is aimed at making our streets safer and more attractive.

5 thoughts on “Clear streets”

I feel sure someone will correct me but I have this distant memory that when the scheme was mooted, to mollify objectors the council went round measuring the widths of pavements to see if they were suitable for permanent storage of the bins. If they weren’t, they promised you had the option of not having a new-fangled wheelie bin. One or two roads were duly declared exempt. Springfield Rd, a particularly unpleasant road now to walk down because of the pavement clutter, was originally deemed too narrow to support the bins. Subsequently the pavements there were re-assessed and were amazingly found to have grown since they were first measured and were now ok for wheelie bins. Again, if I remember correctly there was no talk of only leaving bins out on collection days. Most of the houses in Springfield are in multiple occupation, have 2 entrances, don’t have the advantage of side access or even a level threshold and storing 2 or more bins off road obstructs access. Will some bright spark now tell me this constitutes a fire risk? This is not we signed up to. Me, I’m still fit enough to manhandle the bins and I’ve only one as I own a WHOLE house!, so what do I care? For the moment.

At the 12th June SRRA meeting, Damien Marmura of Brighton and Hove Council Environmental Services department attended and informed us that an enforcement initiative will be commenced in the area in September/October of this year. This will involve notices being served on those who leave their wheelie and recycling bins on the pavement, after a third warning, the bins will be removed. I do welcome this approach and it has been successful in other areas of the city. Most people have space to put the bins and for wheelchair users, pushchairs and generally walking down the street it is a problem and looks awful. Those without space will be able to apply for dispensation, but most people will be at least able to keep the recycling boxes off the pavement.

Thanks Andy. I hadn’t realised that page existed. More to the point, I did not realise that the Council’s policy re wheelie bins on pavements was as follows (taken from that page):

“Wheelie bins

Some areas have these stored on the pavement permanently if there is no room to store them off the pavement. This would however only be in areas with wide pavements.

Most areas are required to pull the wheelie bins in after collection to ensure the pavements are kept free from obstruction. For this reason we ask that you please store your wheelie bin off the pavement between collections where possible.”

I’m pretty sure we in Springfield Road have never been told such a thing. I keep my bin off the pavement except at collection time, but many people don’t, and it’s not just people who have nowhere to put them or people who are disabled. At a SRRA meeting a few weeks ago I was talking to a fellow-resident who had not realised that we weren’t supposed to keep them on the pavement all the time!